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Rock Point bridge over Rogue River Sunday Apr 13, 2008 at 12:01 AM We still follow in the footsteps of Oregon's pioneers, who usually followed the well-worn trails of American Indians. By Bill Miller We still follow in the footsteps of Oregon's pioneers, who usually followed the well-worn trails of American Indians. To the travelers passing through Southern Oregon on the emigrant trail, the Rogue River was just another inconvenient barrier. They thought nothing of splashing, wading and swimming across the chilly waters. When the trail began to widen and a few hardy souls settled nearby, some of them imagined how comfortable and profitable a ferry service could be. For just a few pennies, or maybe a dollar or two, a traveler's boots stayed dry, baggage never floated away and getting to the other side was never so quick. In the late 1850s, the first bridge to cross the Rogue River replaced the ferry. It was built over a deep gorge, a few miles west of Gold Hill, at a place called Rock Point. The Southern Oregon Historical Society commemorated that bridge in 1979 by placing a marker near the original bridge site. The bridge washed away in the 1861 flood and was replaced with a wooden covered bridge that managed to survive into the 20th century. In 1913, not long after its creation, the Oregon Highway Commission was asked by Jackson County Commissioners whether the commission would cooperate in a project to replace the worn-out bridge. Local residents, especially those with automobiles, had been complaining for years. In 1919, the Commission agreed to the replacement. Jackson County's share of the project's $48,400 cost was $23,000. Newly hired State Bridge Engineer, Conde B. McCullough, took over complete design responsibility. Best known for the state's coastal bridges, McCullough's designs include nearly all of Oregon's most honored bridges, and his very first design as bridge engineer, was the Rock Point concrete arch bridge. From late June 1919, until the bridge was completed on February 17, 1920, workers were in a constant battle with winter elements and the river. The swift current could rise 6 feet in just a few hours and then drop just as quickly. Not as ornate as his later bridges would be, McCullough still managed to include some artistic touches. Concrete urn-shaped balusters support gracefully beveled handrails on each side of the 442-foot long, 19-foot wide, roadway. Over the years, weather, time and careless drivers have chipped their elegance and beauty away. Hopes in the 1940s that the bridge would be widened to improve traffic flow on Highway 99, were dashed in 1952 when the State bypassed the bridge and moved a portion of the highway to the south side of the Rogue River. Since then, the old river crossing has received periodic safety upgrades, but next year, ODOT plans to start a major $4.6 million historic rehabilitation and repair project. With all that loving attention, when that project's completed in late 2011 or early 2012, crossing over the Rock Point Bridge is really going to look just a whole lot better. Bill Miller is a freelance writer living in Shady Cove. Reach him at [email protected]